Garment-hanger



April 1967 s. E. SAMUELSSON GARMENT-HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1965 April 1967 s. E. SAMUELSSON GARMENT-HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 16, 1965 United States Patent C) GARMENT-HANGER Stig Erland Samuelsson, Porsevagen 20, F alkenberg, Sweden Filed Feb. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 433,038

Claims priority application Sweden, Mar. 3, 1964,

1 Claim. (Cl. 223-95) This invention has reference to an improved garmenthanger, in particular a skirt-hanger, of the kind comprising a central portion with a tube-shaped channel for housing two end portions which are movable in the longitudinal direction of the hanger by spring action, said end portions being provided with means for engagement with the garment to be carried.

The invention has for its purpose a garment-hanger of the kind referred to in which the parts are kept together and in which the means of the end portions for engagement with the garment to be carried are sufficiently guided.

For this purpose the invention is mainly characterized thereby that the end portions on their ends to be inserted into the central portion are provided with a resilient tongue carrying an abutment which engages a longitudinal slot in the central portion, said slot terminating at some distance from the outer end of the central portion or vice versa.

So as to facilitate the insertion of the end portions, the abutment preferably has a surface inclining obliquely outwards towards the insertion end of the end portion. Further, the insertion end of the end portion is preferably shaped as a hollow cylinder and can with advantage be shaped of plastics. The tongue carrying the abutment is obtained most simply by cutting two slots diametrically opposite each other. Hereby, there is formed on one hand the tongue carrying the abutment and on the other hand an opposing guiding and reinforcing tongue. Further, according to the invention the end portion of the spring acting against the end portion of the hanger is preferably closely wound with such a diameter that it can engage between the tongue carrying the abutment and the reinforcement tongue.

According to another embodiment of the invention there is in each one of the portions, shaped as hollow cylinders, arranged a metal rail carrying at the end.

turned towards the center portion a tongue with an abutment adapted to engage in the longitudinal slot. The metal rail should taper away from the tongue so as to he apt for being forced like a wedge into the end portion. Preferably above the tongue there is arranged a slot increasing the resiliency of the tongue. In this embodiment there is also in the lower portion of the end portions provided a slot in the end turned towards the center portion, the abutment of said tongue extending into said slot.

This embodiment gives several advantages. In case, namely, an end portion for any reason is released from its pressed in position with completely compressed spring there is no risk that the abutment on the end portion by the strong pressure on the end portion from the helical spring is pressed out of engagement. This hard treatment is resisted effectively by the abutment on the end of the tongue of the metal rail. As the rail extends through the whole of the end portion shaped as a hollow cylinder, it reinforces the same and thereby a garment will be carried with greater safety on the hanger.

In the following, the invention will be elucidated with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawingsz FIG. 1 is a partly out side elevation showing one half 3,314,579 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 of the garment-hanger before the insertion of the end portion into the center portion,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding view illustrating the same half of the garment-hanger after the insertion of the end portion into the center portion,

FIG. 3 is a view from below illustrating the connection between the end portion and the center portion,

FIG. 4 shows a complete garment-hanger with the end portions inserted to the inner position and with a garment hanging on the hanger,

FIG. 5 is a partly out side elevation of an end portion according to another embodiment of the invention with a rail arranged in the end portion,

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the rail, and

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the same.

The garment-hanger according to the invention comprises a center portion 1 with a hook 2. The center portion has a tube channel 3 housing a helical spring 4 with a closely wound end portion 5 having a somewhat smaller diameter than the rest of the helical spring. On the underside of the center portion there is arranged a slot 6 ending at some distance from the end 7 of the center portion.

The garment-hanger comprises further an end portion 8 having at its outer free end means 9 for engagement with the garment to be carried. This means is in a common way provided with an outer side giving a large friction, e.g. a chamfered surface, with the cloth. The end 10 of the end portion to be inserted into the center portion 1 is provided with a resilient tongue 11 carrying an abutment 12 with a surface 13 inclining in such a way that the abutment tapers towards the insertion end 10.

The tongue 11 is formed between two indentations 1 1 in the insertion end 10 shaped as a hollow cylinder. The indentations 14 are arranged at diametrically opposite positions and an upper reinforcement tongue 15 is thereby formed also.

The end 5 of the spring is shaped in such a way that it can engage the space 16 between the tongues 11 and 15.

The mounting is carried out in the following manner. First, the helical spring 4- is inserted into the channel 3 in the center portion 1. The spring 4 shall have such a length that when its inner end rests against the hook 2, its outer end in released position of the spring extends somewhat closer the end 7 of the center portion 1 than the slot 6. Thereupon, the tongue r11 of the end portion 8 is pressed upwards by means of the thumb in such a way that the insertion end 10 of the end portion 8 can be inserted into the channel and thereupon the end portion is pushed into the center portion 1 against the action of the spring 4 until the abutment snaps down into the slot 6. The end portion 8 is thereupon locked in the center portion and can be reciprocated against the action of the spring 4 a distance which is limited by the length of the slot 6. Hereby, not only the end portion is retained in the center portion 1 but it is also guided in such a way that its means 9 always is kept in the desired position. By means of the engagement of the closely wound end 5 between the tongues 11 and 15 a correct cooperation between the spring 4 and the end portion 8 is always ensured, i.e. the spring 4 can never be inserted too far into the channel of the end portion 8. The spring end 5 ensures also the engagement of the abutment 12 in the slot 6.

The most convenient and least expensive way of manufacturing the center portion 1 as well as the end portion 8, the two end portions 8 being shaped identically on the two sides of the garment-hanger, is by means of extrusion of plastics or the like even though it of course is possible to manufacture the garment-hanger of another material. By means of the invention the manufacture and the mounting of the garment-hanger is facilitated and rendered less expensive.

According to another embodiment of the invention the tongue 11 and the abutment 12 which constitute parts of and are molded integrally with the end portion 8 and, thus, comprise plastics, are replaced by a metal tongue 17 with an abutment 18 which constitute a part of the end of a metal rail '19 (cf. FIG. 5). The metal rail 19 which preferably comprises spring steel extends through the whole of the end portion 8 shaped as a hollow cylinder and reinforces this portion whereby the whole construction is made more stable and solid.

At the mounting, the rail 19 is inserted with its end remote the tongue 17 into the end of the end portion 8 turned towards the center portion 1 and is pressed through the whole end portion 8 to the position shown in FIG. 5 whereas the tongue 17 with the abutment 18 will be situated in a slot 20 in the lower part of the end portion 8. The rail 19 tapers somewhat in the direction away from the tongue 17 and due to this fact it is clamped in the end portion 8. A slot 21 above the tongue 17 makes the latter longer and thereby its resiliency is increased.

The end portion 8 is thereupon mounted in the center portion .1 in exactly the same way as described in the aforegoing in connection with the first embodiment.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described herein but many modifications can be carried out within the scope of the appended claim. Thus, the abutment 12 can take many different shapes as long as it is shaped in such a way that its engagement with the slot 6 results in a retaining of the end portion 8 under a guidance of the same. Further, the reversed arrangement is possible, i.e. to arrange the tongue 11 r with the abutment 12 in the center portion 1 and in the end portions 8 there is at a certain distance from their end 10 taken up a slot for engagement with the abutment.

What I claim is: In a garment hanger, a center portion having a tube channel and aligned elongated longitudinal slots formed in the undersurface of said center portion terminating at spaced distances from the ends thereof, two hollow cylindrical end portions each having an elongated longitudinal slot extending from an inner end thereorr slidably housed in said tube channel and adapted to be moved horizontally relative to the hanger, means arranged on a free outer end of each of said end portions for engagement with the garment to be carried, a metal rail having a tapered end abutting against the internal cylindrical walls of each of said hollow cylindrical end portions, the other end of said metal rail having a slot formed therein defining a resilient tongue, said resilient tongue being received within the longitudinal slot of each hollow cylindrical end portion, said resilient tongue including an abutment extending therebelow, said abutment engaging an inner end of the slot formed in said center portion when the end portions are moved into operative positions relative to said center portion, and two springs positioned in said tube channel with the free outer end of each spring engaging the inner end of a respective one of said hollow cylindrical end portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,419,638 4/1947 Graeber 223-95 2,814,426 11/ 1957 Miller 223-94 2,998,904 9/1961 Bellg 22395 FOREIGN PATENTS 644,731 6/1928 France.

117,957 2/1901 Germany.

829,494 1/1952 Germany.

6,245 4/1884 Great Britain. 806,958 1/1959 Great Britain.

JORDAN FMNKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

